/ Photo By Brian Powers

Living cheap in college doesn’t have to look cheap.

I have been lucky enough this past August to find a rental house I love where I’m allowed to I decorate as I please. As I have settled in I have found some tricks for functional and fun décor at a discount price.

1. Wall Mural Headboard: My current home is the first place I’ve lived in college where I have been able to paint and I’ve had a lot of fun picking out my colors. I have always wanted to paint a mural on the wall but had a fear of commitment. Plus I don’t want to be a douche-bag and leave the next tenant with a painting they will have to cover up. Solution: I recently discovered you can chalk onto high satin colored walls and it comes off pretty easily. I don’t recommend using dark colors and would test a small section of the wall before you cover it in chalk.
   

   / Photo By Brian Powers

2. Re-Purpose Furniture: This coffee table is a great example of a multifunctional piece. It’s an old chest my boyfriend used at summer camp, and it stores all of our board games and doubles as perfect size coffee table. The rug was also a great steal for $25 at a yard sale. Just be sure anything you buy second-hand is gently used and flea/bedbug free.
3. Giant Mirrors: As everyone knows, mirrors can make a room look larger but it can be hard to find the right size and frame. I found this one for $5 at a garage sale, and even though some of the frame is broken off, I think it adds lots of character to it. And whatever you do, don’t buy those mirror tiles and use them without a frame unless you want to be in tacky city.
4. Frames: Frames will make or break your art. Even if you have a print or a movie poster, make sure you frame it to “class it up.” I also encourage people to be a supporter of the arts and collect real paintings and canvases to blend in with your prints.
5. Home Grown Food: I was also very lucky to move into a house with a big back yard. The people who lived here before left a small garden of tomatoes and peppers and I have added several pots of herbs. Even in the winter it’s possible to have some fresh grown herbs next to a window. It’s such a satisfying feeling to go to your backyard and pick out your next meal and seasoning.
6. Budget Bathroom: Bathrooms can hold up to a bold color since it’s a fairly small space. I found a gallon of red paint at Wal-Mart in their discount section for $7 that covered the entire space. The discount gallons were returned or mixed wrong, and are not refundable. I also found this cute plaid shower curtain at Grandma’s Attic for $2.
7. Bed Raisers: This may sound simple but it added tons of storage for my stuff underneath my bed. The only drawback is that you have to be careful not to nudge your bed too much because they are a pain to put back.
8. Curtains on Every Window: Whether long or short, curtains add a pop of color and style to the standard white plastic blinds.